


All American Reject

by borkybarnes



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, College rejection, Gen, I’m stressed for finals, Light Angst, Sad Peter Parker, father figure! tony, got a spanish vocab quiz i should study for and this is what im doing, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 09:40:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14713646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/borkybarnes/pseuds/borkybarnes
Summary: Peter stared at the email sent back from MIT. His mind could barely process the words. Mr. Parker, we regret to inform you...It just wasn’t fair. Peter rubbed his eyes, tears welling in them, and he shut his laptop quickly.





	All American Reject

Peter stared at the email sent back from MIT. His mind could barely process the words.  _ Mr. Parker, we regret to inform you... _   
  
It just wasn’t fair. Peter rubbed his eyes, tears welling in them, and he shut his laptop quickly.    
  
His phone rang and he answered. “Hello?”   
  
“Peter,” Tony said on the other end. “Did you get in?”   
  
Peter opened up his laptop again, reread the email, and a new wave of anguish washed over him. “No.”   
  
“No? That has to be a mistake.”   
  
Peter sighed and leaned back in his desk chair. “ _ Well, it’s not. _ ”   
  
They sat in the silence for a while, both of them still reeling from Peter’s aggressive tone. “Mr. Stark,” he finally said, “I’m so sorry.”   
  
“No worries. But this rejection is bothering you. Talk about it?”   
  
Peter ran a hand through his hair, tears forming. “It’s... it’s just that I worked so hard for this. I joined as many extracurriculars as I could, I aced practically everything, I won the Merritt Scholarship — and for what?  _ ‘No thank you, Peter’ _ and  _ ‘We don’t want you Peter’ _ .” He didn’t realize how shrill he had become until his voice cracked. He stared at his closer computer and sniffed, wiping the tears that had started to fall. “It’s just not fair, Mr. Stark. I wanted this so bad. I worked so hard.”   
  
“I’m coming over there.”   
  
“No, I’m really fine—”    
  


“I’m already outside your building. Buzz me up.”

 

Peter smiled shakily and hung up, dragging himself to the door to let Tony in. Peter opened the door and when he did, Tony hugged him tight. Peter started to cry again, burying his face in Tony’s shoulder. “I worked so hard,” he whimpered. 

 

The billionaire rubbed his back, muttering, “I know, kid. I know.”

 

Peter pulled away and asked, “Are you going to tell me to man up and shake it off?”

 

Tony looked mildly offended at the assumption and said, “It’s health to wallow every once in a while. Sure, maybe I would normally tell you to let it roll off, but not today. Get your computer, we’ll sit on the couch, eat junk food, and watch that show on Netflix that you like. Got it?”

 

“Yeah, Mr. Stark,” Peter said, running of the get his laptop. He closed the email and walked back outside. Tony had a bowl of Doritos on the coffee table already, with two cups of soda. 

 

“So, just wondering… where’s May?”

 

Peter sighed, shaking his head. “Y’know… business trip.”

 

“Cool. Alright, what’s this show that you like called?”

 

“ _ The Office _ .”

 

Peter pulled it up, clicking on the first episode of season one. Even as he watched it, he couldn’t shake the feeling of complete and utter failure. He’d hardly failed at anything ever. He worked so hard for everything — he wasn’t rich by any means. May worked a modest job but the Parkers weren’t wealthy in any way. Peter had to work so hard to prove himself, and he  _ thought  _ he succeeded. 

 

The words replayed in his head.  _ Welcome to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s admissions portal. We regret to inform you that we are unable to offer you a place in MIT this year… _

 

“Hey,” Tony said, snapping his fingers in front of Peter’s face. “Talk?”

 

“No, I’m… I’m fine, Mr. Stark.”

 

Tony paused the episode and turned to face Peter. The teen saw the Dorito dust stuck to his beard, but he couldn’t make the situation comical in any way. “I know it sucks to be rejected, Peter,” Tony said. “And it especially sucks when it’s from a top choice.”

 

“Mr. Stark—”

 

“But here’s the thing I know about you, Peter. You’re persistent and resilient. You can wallow all you want, but eventually, you’re going to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and work just as hard for the next college application.”

 

Peter remained quiet before he smiled. “Thanks, Mr. Stark.”

 


End file.
